This is the start of something altogether new. In the last months of 2018, there was a sense of building, of new beginnings just beyond the horizon. And yet there was fog in the air, it was hard to see. Well the skies have cleared, and here we are, ready or not.

There is a definite congregation in the sign of Capricorn. Pluto and Saturn are holding the fort, and now the Sun, Moon, and Mercury have joined them to offer this bold New Moon Eclipse. This is the first eclipse in the Capricorn-Cancer eclipse series that will continue for another 18 or so months.

It’s interesting that in modern astrology, Capricorn is the sign most often associated with patriarchy, and yet Capricorn is traditionally a feminine sign*. I think this is precisely because patriarchy has functioned in part by preventing women and the feminine energy in all of us from expressing Capricorn energy in its fullest. And so the energy has become contorted and expresses through control and oppression.

But in its truest form, Capricorn is wonderful and necessary; it is organized, industrious, hard-working, grounded, disciplined, effective. Think of the structure of a finely woven fabric, or an efficiently organized pantry. Think of the oversight required to plan an event or guide a family or govern a city. This is the energy of saving seeds, organizing a household, planning a garden, working efficiently behind the scenes, taking care of others, serving in government, owning a business. It seeks to achieve, but not for its own sake; for the sake of family and tribe. And so it becomes an authority, it excels. And we all win.

But when there’s an imbalance, and some people take on this energy, and seek to prevent others from expressing it, and seek to exert control, not over their own lives, but over others, and discipline others rather than being disciplined themselves, and become authoritative rather than authorities, then Capricorn energy turns oppressive.

In 2020 Jupiter will join Pluto and Saturn, already in Capricorn, signalling a major ending and beginning of Capricornian cycles--this eclipse is just the beginning. There is some fear out there in astrology land regarding this build up of planets in Capricorn.

With Pluto--volcanic, transformative, power-based, meeting Saturn--structured, controlling, hierarchical, emphasized by the expansive nature of Jupiter, in addition to Uranus--revolutionary, disruptive, nonlinear, moving into Taurus--financial, material, we may well expect some major disruptions to societal structures and systems. With Pluto and Saturn together, we might also expect a doubling down from the systems that be to bolster their power. We might expect simultaneous systems’ collapse, and hardening of hierarchical force and control.

Well that does sound scary, but only if we stop there. For one, it’s clear our societal systems are deeply inhumane and are structured to serve only a few. So, it’s good news if they’re in trouble. But the even better news is how much power WE all have in this scenario. Saturn and Pluto are scary when we only see that energy outside of us, and don’t own it within.

Saturn/structure and Pluto/power have been manipulated and used in order to oppress, and as such many of us resist our own power and authority for the fear that we would then become the oppressors. But accepting our power and authority and wielding it wisely is the only way to counter the abuse of power.

The Capricorn--Cancer axis is also associated with parents--our relationship to our own parents, and the ways we’ve internalized those patterns within us. As we mature, we can form relationships to that internalized parental energy, and learn to work with it, heal it, and integrate it.

Then we become, so to speak, mother and father to ourselves, capable of being our own authority, rather than resisting or submitting to external authorities, and capable of addressing our own emotional needs (which may involve reaching out to others) rather than lashing out at others. Some of us have integrated this lesson, but most of us, regardless of our age, have not.

As the old systems heave and deteriorate and threaten collapse, and there’s a potential for even more brutal fascist forces to fill the void, I believe our choice is: to step up, into our own power and authority, to complete this initiation into full adulthood, to accept the weight of the work ahead of us, and build new systems and supports, and care for our own--ourselves, our families, our communities, our humans, our Earth--or not.

It’s our world, now, kids. The old generations grow old, and we inherit this world. And it’s a mess, but it’s ours. We get to decide now. We are in control. If we want to be.

In the Eclipse chart, Neptune and Jupiter are close to a square, and will be in and out of alignment all year—this is a signature of dreaming big, of going for it. And with Jupiter in Sagittarius, and all this grounded, practical Capricorn energy, and Uranus square the nodal axis, these are all messages to go for it. To make a break, a big sudden change of direction. To take big strides toward the future. And that will look different for every one of us.

What are the big steps that you want to take? That you dream of, that you’ve perhaps been dreaming of for a long time, but haven’t quite known how or when or what or why? What next chapter are you stepping into? We are each a piece of the puzzle, we each have a unique role. (And to all the parents out there: parenting IS one of the biggest ways to change this world). There is no right or wrong way. But there is a right time. That time is now.

The other night, I was overcome by this profound wave of emotion and knowing, inexplicable and unverifiable, yet undeniable, this feeling of: we are gonna fucking do this. It felt like, collectively, we hadn’t really decided if we are up for the challenge. We hadn’t really decided if we are willing to be fully in our bodies and to face the wreckage of the past thousands of years, to look squarely in the face of the carnage and brutality and trauma, and then to band together and to do all that it will take to move forward, to begin anew, to do better, to heal, to help each other, to rebuild—until now. I had this strong intuition that collectively, we’ve now decided. We’re gonna fucking do this.

*Please note, feminine does not equal women, masculine does not equal men, Patriarchy does not equal men. While I often avoid using the terms feminine and masculine altogether, I think there is value in it at times. But in speaking this way I in no way mean to suggest that gender expression is binary. I like the metaphor of many colours from a limited palette: perhaps from masculine and feminine energy, and infinite number of gender expressions are available.